The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1887-03-03
No. %.

never 10 go 10 EUROPE unless In charR6
Of the Austrian authorities, and on
board an Austrian man of war. A further
condition was that Colonel was never to
accept civil Office in this country.
''These conditions were faithfully OBJ
served up to the time of Colonel Rion's
last fatal illness. He is not known to
have contided the story Of his birth to
any one except his eldest daughter. He
is said to have told her tho story two or
three years ago, when she was about to
sail for Europe. 1t is said that one of
her purposes in goiAg to Europe was to
examine into the death of the Dauphin
and to obtain such knowledge in regard
to it as was possible from tradition and
otherwise.
cit is also said that when Colonel
Rlon referred to the subject Just before
his death he observed in the counten-
anccs of those who were gathered about
hlm that they supposed his mind to be
wandering, and that he said to them:
You think that my mind is wandering,
but L am in possession of all my reason
ing faculties He then asked DIR.
Hanahan to put him to some test in
order to demonstrate the fact that he
was perfectly rational. He said (tapping
his breast) Il have the proofs here Of the
truth of what l say
Colonel Rlon Is known to have been
IN poss esSlon OF u very valuable gold
snutf-boX, set with diamonds upon the
| top OF which there is q monogram of the
Orleans Family wrought in diamonds.
| This snutl-boX, it is SAID, had never been
| seen by any member Of his family until
his death, but he is known to have ex-
hibited it once, in 1885, to an intimate
personal and professional friend, under
lnJunctlons Of secrecy, which have been
removed by his death. He gave no in
timation to his friend of the history
connected with the possession of this
box, except to say that Mr.. Clemson,
tho son-in-law of John G. Calhoun.
brought it to him from France, when he
MIR. Clcmsen) was secretary of the
American legation i'll Paris. The snuff
box has been valued by jeweller, since
Colonel Ron's death, at $1,000, and is
OF most costly and exquisite workman
ship.
'Coloncl Rion went to Canada some
years ago and told n friend when he had
returned that he had seen i'll the old
Cathedral at Montreal the record of his
baptism.
1T is understood that Colonel Rion's
lamlly arc now preparing for publication
full statement of the facts in tho case
and that there is much evidence to Sis
t'un the confession made 10y him Just
before his death. Certainly no one who
knew him would doubt for q moment
the truth of any statement that he made
when clothed i'll his right mind, for he
was the very soul Of honor"
FURTHER STATEMENT.
W. {. RiOn, Esq, Of Winnsboro, son of
The late James II. lion, has sent the fol-
loving note TO MIR. n. G. Gonzales Of the
NctrS dnd Courier:
+ AS | mentioned Yesterday. we did not
desire publicity given to my fathers strange
story, and upon second thought, and after
consultation with the family here aud some
| OF my father s friends, | think it best not to
satisfy the curiosity Of the public on a mat
ter which should have been, in the first in
| stance, one OF secrecy as far as they were
concerned. Therefore, you will excuse me
from furnishing the data | promised you,
However, the many inaccuracies and an
achrOniSlnS in the true statement made Inv
my father, taken together with his actions
and lncohcrcncics, plainly show that he
was under the influence Of morphine and
not III his right mind when he made II.
Hence, L think no importance or wcipht
can be given this wandering of an excited
Dram, except that the statement was made
rue, rs ! told you, there are evidences
son OF the Dauphin, but as far us Droofs
arc concerned, that he was in reality such n
person, there are none. DR.. II. b. Hama
nan, the attending physician, at the time
Nt The statement and the following morn
ing, expressed it rs his opinion that Father
WAS under the influence of morphine.
he article blood Of the BOurbons,' as
yesterday printed Is in nearly all particu-
hlra erroneous, and as far as a publication
IInllU / al a.
rlulculOuS. You can deny the truth of the
stntcmcntaS rs published, upon my authority
and also state that Father was under the IN.
nuCncc OF morphine when the strange story
was told by him. Further than this vol,
would do the family and myself n favor by
publishing nothing If, however, any-
thing comes from the family, your paper
Shall hayc the preference.
COL. KIoN'S SNUFF-Box.
y correspondent Of the Ncwbcrry ILeynLd
Hnd AG~S, in the last issue Of thai Dancr
says that just before the breaking ont ri
our war a highly y-Cducatcd Swcdc, named
llammcrSkold, settled in Lincolnton. NJ
e., TO engage III the iron business; that
abandoning his business to enter the Con
tcdcratc army he became IMPOVERISHED
and that after the war, in order to raise
money, he sold valuable diamond studded
Solu Snul1-D0X, said to have been Il Gift of
INC hing OF Sweden, To co., l.. -. Childs.
OF Columbin, who subsequently presented
1t I" Col. Rion. The correspondent thinks
That this is the alleged Orleans snufrb box,
lie IS correct. The snuff box bears the
icilcr o., and a crown set in diamonds. 1t
mas not the Orleans monogram. The mi
tiaI IS probab y that Of Oscar l., King of
HWcuCn ana Norway, born 1850, died 1859,
Col. RiOn'S family knew the HISTORY Of thia
Snun box, and his reference to if oS q ,,roof
OF ms Orleans descent, they considered an
evidence that he was under the influence of
ton. .